


off the clock

by misleko



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drabble Collection, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26162122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misleko/pseuds/misleko
Summary: in a million little pockets of the universe, only one thing is certain: Mark loves Donghyuck, and Donghyuck loves Mark.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Kudos: 88





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> a small collection of unrelated AU drabbles, only connected in that they are all variations of established relationship markhyuck.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "mh but its 'ooh you wanna kiss me so bad' pls !!"
> 
> prompt taken from my curiouscat inbox [here](https://curiouscat.me/bolobao). I'm not currently accepting prompt requests, but I ask for some on [twitter](https://twitter.com/prive_bbh) occasionally! 
> 
> tw for mentions of guns, although it is not actually used beyond the red light scope.

Donghyuck is in the middle of going over the dockyard blueprints with Jaemin when Jeno lets out a startled yelp. “Sun, there’s a mark on your face.”

He’s about to retaliate with a quip about his moles when he notices red out the corner of his eyes. Oh, Jeno meant a sniper rifle mark, as in, _Donghyuck is about to get fucking shot._

As one, they all duck behind the stack of crates they'd been using as a table, hands flying to their holsters. Donghyuck slowly looks up to the cluster of buildings across the street. It’s still hours to the deal, and nobody else but them should’ve arrived yet.

“Hi, sweetheart,” comes a mocking voice, crackling in his earpiece.

Jaemin stifles a laugh next to them, shoulders relaxing. Jeno mutters, “Jesus Christ,” and turns back to taking stock of their inventory.

Donghyuck shakes off the tension in his legs, springing back up to his full height. It’s just Mark, who must’ve arrived at the site moments ago with the other unit. “Can you fuck off and let me do my work?” He volleys vitriol back through the comms.

He hears someone, maybe Jaehyun, chime in from HQ. “What the hell are you two fighting about this time?”

It’s Johnny that responds, from wherever he’s positioned in the field as their second sharpshooter. “Don’t. Just don’t ask, you know they won’t tell, anyway.”

Jaemin can’t restrain the next laugh that builds up in his throat at Donghyuck standing completely still, eyeing the outline of the buildings he knows Mark must be in. “He’s tracing a heart around your face now.”

Donghyuck recognizes the gesture for what it's supposed to be: a slight attempt at humiliation. Something like, _I love you but I can also kill you and I think you should be reminded of that._ Seems like Mark is still pissy about this morning.

He catches sight of a flash of bright red in the fourth floor window of an abandoned residential building. "Any last words?" Mark taunts.

“Oh, you wanna kiss me _so_ bad.” He says it without thinking, mostly just to rile Mark up, because it is oh so easy to do so. He’s not disappointed.

“I- what?” filters through the comm, a little too loud, a little too flustered.

Smirking, Donghyuck shakes his head and turns back to their blueprints. Checkmate.

Right on time, Commanding Officer Taeyong taps into the channel. “Everyone, into positions. It seems like we have an early arrival.”


	2. ii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "mh going home and talking about each other's day and being cute 🥺🤲"
> 
> prompt taken from my curiouscat inbox [here](https://curiouscat.me/bolobao). I'm not currently accepting prompt requests, but I ask for some on [twitter](https://twitter.com/prive_bbh) occasionally!

Mark walks through the doorway, tosses his keys onto the side table, and toes his shoes off as quick as he can. He makes his way down the hall into the living room on autopilot, not saying anything to Donghyuck, who’s sitting with his eyes closed and head tilted against the plush back of the sofa.

He simply flops down lengthwise along the cushions, ending with his head in Donghyuck’s lap. A hand immediately reaches to sink into his hair, caressing it carefully. “Did you just get home?” Mark asks into Donghyuck’s thigh.

He gets an affirmative hum back. It must’ve been quite a day if Donghyuck can’t even form words. They stay in that position for a while, both needing a silent breather to recuperate from work. Eventually, Donghyuck eases Mark’s head up, sliding off the couch and replacing himself with a throw pillow to prop up Mark’s neck.

Mark appreciates the gesture for all of ten seconds before he realizes that Donghyuck had left to go make dinner for them. He can hear the bang of pots in the kitchen.

He immediately jolts up, crossing into the next room in a matter of long strides to bury his face into Donghyuck’s nape. “Mmph, let’s just get takeout tonight. You know we’re too tired to cook and wash dishes.”

Donghyuck gives up without a fight, clearly not that set on the idea of making food. Mark pulls up a delivery app as Donghyuck follows him back to the couch, this time ending with Donghyuck lying down on top of Mark.

He stretches his arm out to set his phone down on the floor when he’s done ordering, trusting his case to protect his phone from the one-inch drop. He brings his arm back up to rub softly along Donghyuck’s back. “Tell me about your day,” spills out of his mouth as he attempts to sink further into the cushions.

Donghyuck huffs a little but immediately launches into a half-asleep retelling of a hilarious almost-accident at the lab today involving Renjun and a pipette. Mark listens intently, laughing along as he stares at some spot off in the distance. He spares a moment to think about how happy he is to be home as Donghyuck sits up a little to free up his arms so he can mimic gestures as he talks. Yeah, Mark really loves it here.


	3. iii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "cliche mh treating the other's wound 🥺🤲"
> 
> prompt taken from my curiouscat inbox [here](https://curiouscat.me/bolobao). I'm not currently accepting prompt requests, but I ask for some on [twitter](https://twitter.com/prive_bbh) occasionally!
> 
> I got another really sweet cc as I was writing this one, so little spoon Mark anon...this one is for you :')

“Ow! Donghyuck! Can you perhaps go a little easier on me,” Mark grits out, “please.”

Donghyuck glares in response. “I feel like if you’re going to break into my room in the middle of the night and force me to play nurse for you, that you should shut up and take what you can get.”

“So you’re saying that I cannot ask my boyfriend, whom I love very much, to not injure me further because _holy fuck, Hyuck, I swear it hurts worse than when I got here—_ ”

“I am saying,” Donghyuck raises his voice to be heard over Mark, although keeping it quiet enough still that he doesn’t wake his parents up, “that if you love your boyfriend so much, maybe you should consider being more careful when you swing across buildings. Or, you know, go to an actual hospital instead of showing up at my window expecting me to give you perfect sutures under the light of my old-ass Optimus Prime lamp.”

Mark lets out an exhale that half-turns into a laugh. He skips over the concerns for now and focuses on the bit that doesn’t really matter, probably not wanting to start an argument tonight. “Hey, I happen to like your Optimus Prime lamp.”

Donghyuck clicks his tongue and returns to his task, pulling lightly at the nylon. “There. All done,” he says softly when he finishes. He leans back and takes Mark in, all messy hair and bruised up chest. “Maybe you’re the one that should go a little easier on me.”

Mark slumps after looking over his newly stitched arm, holding out his uninjured limb for Donghyuck to come closer. Donghyuck gets up to clean his makeshift first aid station instead, but he points Mark towards his bed. 

“You’re done for the night, right? Hop in bed then, you know where my clothes are.”

“Actually, I’m—”

“Not going back out tonight when I literally just fixed you up? I agree.” Donghyuck stares him down from where he’s stuffing gauze and paper towels into the trash can.

Mark, at least, has the decency to look guilty. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s just— hero complex, you know how it is.” He pads over to Donghyuck’s dresser, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and awkwardly rolling his tight spandex suit down his legs with his good hand. It makes Donghyuck chuckle lightly.

“The city will still be standing tomorrow, Spiderman. It’s my job to make sure that you will be too.”

Mark hums, accepting a cap of mouthwash then gently settling himself into bed, careful to be gentle with his injured areas. Although, at this point, Donghyuck thinks his entire body is an injured area.

He goes down to the kitchen to grab them both a glass of water, careful to avoid the creaky spots in the wooden stairs each way. Mark is lying on his side when he gets back, clearly having decided that that was the most comfortable position to be in. He sits up on an elbow when he sees Donghyuck, wincing at how the bruise on his ribs twinges, and accepts a sip of the water gratefully.

“I hate when you have to help me like this, you know,” Mark starts as Donghyuck sets the water down and walks around to the other side of the bed. “I really would go to the hospital if it was an option, but then I’d have to explain all this,” he gestures to himself.

“I know,” Donghyuck says, carefully sliding in behind him, pressing his chest to Mark’s back and wrapping a light arm around his waist. “And you know I don’t mind helping you for the less serious stuff. I’m just going to fuss over you as I do it, that’s just part of boyfriend duties.”

He can’t see Mark’s face, but he knows he’s smiling widely, the utter sap that he is. “Go to sleep,” he mumbles, “my mom’s making omelets for breakfast. I’ll sneak one up for you.”

Mark laughs lightly but obeys, breath evening out quickly. The last sensation Donghyuck feels before he succumbs to sleep is Mark’s fingers lightly brushing against his, seemingly insignificant considering how closely they’re pressed together, but a source of comfort all the same.


	4. iv.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I won’t wait for you.  
> The sky is falling, babe, and  
> I don’t love dead men.
> 
> two unrelated takes on a haiku I thought of when I was 13 that has stuck in the back of my mind since then. both were written during a speedwrite back in january!

Mark is grasping at straws. Around him, his men are loading cargo onto the ship, food supply to last for the journey back. His gaze stays locked on Donghyuck’s troubled face. “I’ll be your home,” he’s saying, spilling words out of his mouth that he isn’t actually processing. He’s throwing out mindless promises into the wind, and they’re getting swept away by the sea before they quite reach Donghyuck’s ears.

Donghyuck’s eyes shine with emotion but it’s more determination than regret. “I will come back to you, Mark. I swear to the gods I will, but I need to take care of my people first. I cannot abandon them.”

Overhead, something in the sky crackles, a cacophonous ripping somewhere in the atmosphere. “Look around you!” Mark is screaming at this point, desperate to get his point across. “There are no gods, Donghyuck. They’ve abandoned us, it’s a free for all. There’s no salvation here.”

One of Mark’s men comes up, whispers in his ear. The ship is ready to depart. Some miles away, something large and dark hurtles towards the sea, just visible on the horizon. It slams into the water and ripples. The ship crewmen murmur among themselves in alarm. Donghyuck stays still.

Mark waits five, ten, fifteen seconds more. Memorizes the lines of Donghyuck’s face, the slope of his nose, the way his hair moves in the breeze. He nods, more to himself than anything. Mouths a quiet goodbye, can’t even verbalize it properly with the way his throat has suddenly closed up. It doesn’t matter. The roar of the water crashing against the docks would’ve claimed the message long before Donghyuck did. He turns and climbs the rest of the way up the wooden ramp.

— 

Mark has spent the better half of the morning hiking up the mountain. It’s rocky, steep, and his calves are burning. His ankles are starting to smart and come tomorrow, it’ll be a pain to even get out of bed. He can’t miss tradition though, even if the world is ending.

As if on cue, something crackles in the distance. Mark has never had a good sense of spatial awareness but it’s clear that the loud sound is coming from above. That’s quite a terrifying thing to be aware of when he’s on a mountain. There’s not much above him. Mark pays it no mind, though. It’s been happening for almost a month now. Any second and…

A large piece of debris hurtles through the clouds and free-falls towards the ground. Mark pauses for a moment to watch it but continues moving when he’s determined that it’ll land in the desert. The skyscrapers of his city survives another day.

A few more minutes and a familiar cave comes into sight. Up here, the air is sharp, nearly a challenge to inhale. Mark relishes in it, the feeling of not being able to take air for granted. It forces him to acknowledge his thoughts and emotions and the physical state of his body, all things that he’s grown apathetic towards in the past couple of weeks. He’s been on survival mode since that first piece of the sky fell on top of the media broadcasting headquarters on New Year’s Day.

Inside the cave, a familiar boy is reading a book. He looks up at Mark as he walks in and smiles and oh, here he is. The other reason why Mark’s breath can’t quite seem to fill his lungs. The reason why he’ll take time out of his day to climb a mountain amidst the end of the fucking world. Lee Donghyuck smiles and Mark Lee disintegrates like the clouds in the slowly crumbling sky.


	5. v.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "mh picking out food from the other's bowl that they know the other don't likes and eats it for them or mh giving the other food from their own bowl which they know the other likes"
> 
> prompt taken from my curiouscat inbox [here](https://curiouscat.me/bolobao). I'm not currently accepting prompt requests, but I ask for some on [twitter](https://twitter.com/prive_bbh) occasionally!

Donghyuck is engrossed in an argument with Jungwoo, one hand waving around his metal chopsticks in the air and the other arm perched almost impolitely on the table, elbow helping him balance as he leans over slightly to drive his point across. Jungwoo stares back at him unamusedly.

Their voices are slightly too loud for this small hole-in-the-wall restaurant, but nobody gives them a lick of attention and that’s why they like it here. In Donghyuck’s peripheral vision, the matronly restaurant owner walks up to the table to deliver a steaming bowl of noodles to Mark sitting on his left.

“All I’m saying is that we shouldn’t be using the presence of oxygen on a planet as a determining factor for whether there’s life there or not because what if those aliens—and I know there are aliens— don’t need—”

Mark distracts him by nudging his arm aside to gain access to his bowl. Donghyuck can only watch as Mark brings over a heaping pile of beansprouts from his own bowl to place neatly into his. Then, he takes the mushrooms Donghyuck had pushed to the edge. He’d forgotten to ask to leave them out when they’d ordered. Donghyuck falls silent, touched by the gesture.

Mark doesn’t indicate that anything is out of the norm, bringing the mushrooms to his mouth and raising his eyebrows.

“I agree with Donghyuck. Now, let’s eat?”


	6. vi.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this one is inspired by a hypothetical minor side plotline from nora sakavic's _all for the game_ trilogy, because of course I would get more attached to the side characters than to the main. I recommend the series, but be warned that there is adult content and many, many trigger warnings to take heed of (none of these warnings apply to this drabble, though).
> 
> that being said, it is not necessary to know anything about the series to read this! the only information you need is that they are gay jocks who play a fictional sport called exy, and Mark's old team was horrible to him.

The goal lights up red and somebody crashes into Mark from behind not even five seconds later.

“Holy shit! Are you kidding me, what the hell was that? Mark, you fucking superstar!” It’s Chenle and he’s yelling right into Mark’s ear, or at least as close as he can get through Mark’s helmet.

Mark smiles slightly and doesn’t even try to get Chenle off his back, which really just goes to show how far he’s come with this team. Just a matter of months ago, he would’ve shoved him into the ground for trying.

The rest of the team appear, swarming into a giant mass of excitement around him. They jostle Chenle off so that they can grab Mark and hoist him up above their heads, and he goes along with it, keeping a tight grip on his exy racquet. He thrusts it into the air and the crowd doubles down on their screams, feet stomping all over the stadium. He notices the team tossing Donghyuck up in the air as well, and at one point they’re close enough that Mark can grab onto his hand.

Mark Lee has just secured the USC Trojans their first-ever Spring Championship trophy, against last year’s champions, no less.

In the last minute of the game, Donghyuck had been too far away to pass to and Jaemin was occupied trying to get past his marker, so he’d pulled a last-second play out of his ass and scored a backliner goal. It was a rarely employed strategy, but not technically against the rules. The buzzer had sounded not even ten seconds later.

The Ravens would have disapproved of this strategy immensely but he was surrounded by Trojans on the other side of the country, far from the judgemental eyes and vicious attitudes of his old teammates. He’d just beaten the only person here who could understand his mixed feelings.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The Trojans line up to clack racquets with the opposing team and Jeno is last in line on the Foxes’ side, eyes set on Mark. They linger when they cross paths, Mark holding up the line behind him because the Trojans are a much bigger team than the Foxes. Still, he needs to hear what Jeno has to say.

“Congratulations,” Jeno speaks up, “that was a really good game and a very well-played move.”

“The Ravens wouldn’t have approved,” he croaks out.

Jeno locks eyes with him, something flashing in them that Mark is too drained to decipher right then. “Well, good thing we’re not with the Ravens anymore, yeah?” He pats him on the shoulder and moves on down the line, public smile back in place and an amiable attitude sliding over the intense sincerity he’d just shown Mark.

His words loosen something in Mark, as if he could finally, clearly look at the bigger picture that he logically understood was correct but couldn’t quite bring himself to believe until then. He is Mark Lee, number 28 backliner for the USC Trojans, and he has just won the Spring Championships for the third time in his university career, but the first time for a team that mattered to him.

Coach envelops him into a hug, then steers him towards Donghyuck who’s already talking to reporters. They take their time doing press today. It’s not always the most fun task, but it’s not every day that they’re national champions. The reporters are just as excited as they are, and for once they don’t seem to have anything bad to say. Either that or Mark just doesn’t notice, too busy surreptitiously stealing glances at Donghyuck. Nevertheless, Donghyuck is dragging him into the locker room soon enough, after accepting one last congratulation from the fans in the stands.

As soon as the door closes between them and the hall leading to the court, Donghyuck is pulling him over to the couches to make out, not even bothering to change out of their uniforms yet. The rest of their teammates groan at them from deeper inside the locker room, but nobody bothers to tell them to get a room. Donghyuck has been waiting four years to get his hands on this trophy, and now he was celebrating.

“Donghyuck,” Mark breaks away from the kiss and dodges when Donghyuck tries to lean back in. “Donghyuck, I had fun today.” He sounds a little surprised, even to himself.

That gets Donghyuck's attention. He leans back in Mark’s lap and takes a long look at him. What he sees must make him happy because he breaks out into a wide grin, the kind that crinkles his eyes and leaves Mark in awe. “Of course you did. I made you a promise, didn’t I?” 

It throws Mark back into a replay of the past year, from escaping the Ravens and spending months hiding out in South Carolina with the Palmetto State Foxes as he recovered, to Jeno facilitating his transfer over to the USC Trojans. Stepping out of LAX with a single duffel bag over his shoulder and nothing else, and being greeted by palm trees and the sunniest boy he’d ever seen behind the wheel of a large Jeep.

Rooming with the aforementioned ray of sunshine, also known as his new Captain, and falling in love with him in the process. Slowly letting his new team and the California sun into his heart. Slowly learning how to move on from the scars of his old team, putting the pitch black of the Ravens’ Nest behind him. Donghyuck promising that he would help Mark learn how to enjoy playing exy again, maybe even teach him how to love it.

Mark smiles softly and leans back in, letting the sun soak into him.


	7. vii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "established relationship!mh running into each other in the laundry shop at 2 am 🥺🤲"
> 
> prompt taken from my curiouscat inbox [here](https://curiouscat.me/bolobao). I'm not currently accepting prompt requests, but I ask for some on [twitter](https://twitter.com/prive_bbh) occasionally!

Donghyuck is singing along to the radio playing overhead as he scoops warm clothes out of the dryer when the entrance bell rings. He stops immediately, not wanting to be _that_ person being too loud by himself in a public space this late at night.

He can’t see who entered since the dryer door blocks his side view and he’s not bold enough to turn around, but he hears the new person walking around on the other side of the shop. Then, weirdly enough, they pause for a moment and start making their way closer.

Seriously? An entire empty shop and this person is going to get all up in Donghyuck’s personal space?

He’s never doing laundry at 2am again. The shop is ten times emptier than usual until it’s not, and then it’s just creepy. Donghyuck doesn’t dare look up, only moving to unload his clothes faster.

A pair of beat-up converse with designs all over stop right next to him, appearing under the dryer door. Donghyuck’s heart skips a beat before he realizes that he recognizes those shoes, no, he customized those shoes!

His head jerks up and he makes eye contact with Mark, cute glasses and all. At the sight of him, Donghyuck sags dramatically onto the floor, falling back onto his butt and leaning against the machine behind him. “Oh my fucking god, Mark, why would you scare me like that?”

Mark looks confused. “Did I scare you? Didn’t you hear my footsteps?”

“Yeah, but I thought you were some random stranger getting way too close to me in a completely empty shop! You could’ve been a _murderer_.”

“Uh. I’m sorry?” He looks amused at Donghyuck’s dramatics, but this was a near-death experience in his mind. That’s how he’ll tell the story to Renjun and Jaemin at brunch tomorrow, anyway. Donghyuck uses his new position to look at Mark’s laundry basket.

“Are you seriously washing your sheets at 2am, dude? Do you have something you need to tell me?”

It’s actually kind of impressive how quickly Mark reddens. “No! I just- I remembered too late that you’re coming over tomorrow, or- today I guess, so…”

Donghyuck blinks. “You came to the laundromat in the dead of night to make sure that you’ve prepared clean sheets for me?”

“I’m not gonna make you sit on unclean sheets!”

“Sit, sure,” Donghyuck snorts. “That’s actually kind of sweet of you. Maybe you scored some Boyfriend Brownie points, Mark Lee.” He gets up from the floor, looking at his hands in disgust. It probably wasn’t a good idea to sit on the floor of a public laundromat.

Mark notices and offers Donghyuck a towel from his dirty laundry to wipe his hands on, which he supposes is better than nothing.

“Oh, how will I ever repay you?”

“Do you have laundry fare?” Mark jokes.

Donghyuck digs in his pockets and comes up with a small hair tie and two coins. “I can offer you this,” he holds out his hand as Mark shivers, clearly too cold to deal with the aircon in only a thin T-shirt. “And your pick of a hoodie from my warm laundry.”

Mark’s lips twitch up at that, quickly ducking around the door to snatch a sweatshirt from inside the dryer, an oversized orange thing with extra long sleeves. He sighs as he slips it on, drinking in the feeling of putting on freshly dried clothes.

Donghyuck claims the top of a machine as a throne while Mark puts his laundry into the wash, letting him step between his legs once he’s done.

“You should go home before it gets even later.”

Donghyuck slides his arms around Mark’s shoulders and rests his forehead against Mark’s sternum. “Mm, wanna wait for you.”

Fingers graze lightly at Donghyuck’s sides, slipping under his shirt to seek out warm skin. “Why?” Mark teases. “Scared of the dark?”

He rolls his eyes. It was never quite dark in the city, even in the hours between clubbing and early morning jogs. Donghyuck does not voice this, never a fan of stating the obvious. “Just come home with me tonight. Unlike you, my sheets are clean.”

Mark protests, fingers pinching at his skin in retaliation. “They’re getting washed right now! Just come to mine, since you’re hanging out with me tomorrow anyway.”

Donghyuck shakes his head. “I’m getting brunch with the boys in the morning. Come to mine, my bed’s comfier. No offense.”

“You’ve never complained about my bed before!” Mark hops up onto the machine by his side.

“It’s not terrible, just a little lumpy in places. I make the sacrifice for you, loser.”

Mark pouts and scoots away, but he gets pulled back with a grin. Laundromats in the dead of night feel like a liminal space. They bask in the fluorescent light with only the tinny, filtered voices of late-night pop radio and the swish of Mark’s washing machine to fill the silence. Donghyuck’s fingers tap a hollow beat against the steel, then he speaks up.

“Okay, how about this. First person to fit themselves inside of a dryer and crawl back out gets to bring the loser home.”

To his credit, Mark doesn’t even blink at the absurdity of the suggestion. “What if neither of us can get back out?”

“Don’t doubt my flexibility.” He responds cooly. “Also, I know a guy at the fire department.”

“Donghyuck, saying that you ‘know a guy’ doesn’t work if I also know him. It’s just Yukhei. I’m pretty sure I introduced you to him.”

He doesn’t bother with a response, waiting patiently for an answer instead.

Mark considers the idea for only a moment before agreeing, as expected. It was much easier to get Mark on board with his stupid ideas and even pitch some of his own when they were alone, late at night.

He’s off the machine and heading towards a dryer in the next moment, with Mark on his heels. Maybe errands weren’t so boring after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've marked this work as complete for now but who knows, I may come back to this little collection one day! let me know which one you liked best and come talk to me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/prive_bbh), thanks for reading~


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